North Dakota State Penitentiary is located at 3100 Railroad Avenue PO Box 552 in Bismarck, North Dakota. This prison is operated by the North Dakota Department of Corrections and its purpose is to hold inmates who have been convicted to and sentenced for a crime in the state of North Dakota.

The North Dakota State Penitentiary is a maximum-security prison that houses 1,550 inmates. The facility is comprised of seven units: The North unit, East unit, West unit, South Unit, Segregation unit, Overflow unit, and the Treatment unit. Each unit houses a certain type of offender and is tailored to meet the specific needs of the inmate. The North unit is where orientation and reception inmates are first housed. During the orientation and intake process, the facility will assess and test the inmates’ mental ability, mental health, physical and medical needs, and evaluate any treatment programs the inmate may require.

Inmates housed at North Dakota State Penitentiary can receive alcohol and substance abuse treatment during their incarceration. Offenders may also participate in group therapies, anger management courses and other programs. Vocational training and educational programs, such as the GED program, are also available at North Dakota State Penitentiary.

The inmates housed at the institution are placed according to their custody level. There is a plethora of educational and vocational training programs for all inmates, especially ones that show a willingness to learn new things that will prepare them for a better life when they are released. North Dakota’s mission is to promote and prepare the offender to leave in better shape than when they arrived, giving them the best chance to never come back and thus lower the state’s recidivism rate.

The North Dakota State Penitentiary provides basic living standards to meet the inmates’ needs, including dietary, health, fitness, education, religious practices, entertainment, and more.